Illuminating the Shadows
by YinYangWriter
Summary: The seventh installment of the Light and Shadow series. Eva's past has finally caught up to her.
1. Aptitude

**This is the seventh installment of the **_**Light and Shadow **_**series. I do not own **_**Code: LYOKO**_**, but Eva Maverick and Kayla Olson are mine. Please review and feel free to leave more than a one line review.**

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><p>Jeremy handed Eva a folder.<p>

"What's this?" she asked, opening it up.

"An aptitude test," replied Jeremy.

Eva gave him a look that asked him why she would need to take such a test.

Jeremy smiled. "I just want to know how smart you are," he said. "I know you don't try your hardest on tests."

Eva raised an eyebrow. "You want to know if I can outshine you?"

"That, too," Jeremy said with a slight nod.

"Fine," said Eva.

"Great," he said. "Meet you in the library in five minutes. Aelita's taking it, too."

"What about you?" asked Eva.

Jeremy held up another folder.

Five minutes later the three of them met in the library. They started at the same time and worked silently on their tests. Jeremy was done first, then Aelita. Eva used all of her time, putting the test back into the folder when she was finished.

"Okay, now what?" asked Eva.

"I will have a third-party score them," said Jeremy, gathering the folders. "We'll know by tomorrow."

Aptitude tests meant nothing to Eva. She didn't need a test to tell her that she was smart. In fact, there were probably students here, or even teachers for that matter, who may score high and be completely senseless when it came to things that weren't book related. The same could be said about those who scored low. The tests may say they are unintelligent and they could build some sort of mode of transportation from scrap metal. Eva thought the tests were inaccurate.

In the evening, Eva knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She was having one of those nights again when she felt guilt creeping up on her. It would torment her with nightmares if she closed her eyes. Instead of going to sleep, Eva got out the electric kettle and made instant cocoa.

There was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" Eva asked.

The door opened and Aelita poked her head in the door. "Me," she said. "May I come in?"

"Sure," said Eva.

Aelita closed the door behind her. Eva moved a few things and beckoned her to sit on the bed. Eva got out another mug and put some instant mix in it.

"Nightmares again?" Eva asked.

Aelita nodded. "I'm used to them by now, but they are still annoying."

Eva poured her a cup. "I know what you mean. Sometimes they get the better of me still."

Aelita accepted the cup offered to her. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You've been a bit introspective the last few days."

"Almost getting killed sets things in order for you," said Eva.

Aelita shook her head. "That was not your first brush with death," she said. Kayla had shared a few things about Eva that Eva normally wouldn't have shared. The others knew that it was her mother that gave her the wicked scar on her left shoulder. "What is it really, Eva? You can tell me."

"You can tell the others about this if you want," started Eva, "but when I was trapped under that rubble with Nicolas, I saw Mackenzie."

Aelita gave a small start. "Was it XANA?" she asked.

"No," said Eva. "It was Mackenzie. I know it was probably a hallucination brought on by the extreme pain that I was in at the moment, but I knew it was her."

"How can you be sure?" asked Aelita. "XANA's created convincing specters before."

"She called me my pet name," said Eva. "XANA would not know it. Like I said, it was probably a hallucination."

"Eva, it was," said Aelita. "She's dead. She's not coming back."

Eva gave Aelita a severe look. "Don't you think I know that?" Eva groaned. "Sorry, Aelita. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay," said Aelita. "I understand."

"It was like I was looking at a ghost," said Eva. "She hadn't changed, still the same as I remember her." Eva touched the locket hanging around her neck.

Aelita finished her cocoa. "Thank you," she said, putting the empty mug on the desk. "Good night."

"Good night, Aelita," said Eva.

Eva finished her cocoa and tried to get some sleep.


	2. In the Locket

The seven of them were out on the obstacle course. Eva was showing them all she learned about parkour, leaving them in awe as she leaped from great heights and landing without injury.

"That will be great on LYOKO," said Ulrich.

Eva nodded. "That's why I'm learning it. XANA and its monsters won't know what hit them."

They took a break. Bon Ami and Kiwi had come along to get some exercise. Sitting in a circle, they drank from the water bottles they brought and munched on snacks.

"Hey," Eva said. They turned to her. She was pulling out her locket from under her black shirt. "I want to share this with you. We've been through so much, I feel like I'm holding out on you."

They gathered around her. Eva opened the locket. Inside was a picture of her and Mackenzie. They were wearing jeans and white T-shirts with a zoo logo on them. Mackenzie was wearing a safari hat that was several sizes too big for her and she had it tilted back so she could see. Behind them was an elephant.

"You look like you did when I first met you," said Kayla. She looked at Eva. "When was this taken?"

"About a month before we found out," replied Eva. "That was the happiest day of her life. I bought her a stuffed elephant at the gift shop. She loved that elephant. I put it in her casket at her funeral to keep her company."

Eva shifted her position and smiled faintly. "She used to call me Eva-phant."

"Eva-phant?" asked Odd. "Why would she call you that?"

"Because she loved elephants so much," said Eva. "You know they have exceptional memories, right?"

"They never forget," said Aelita.

Eva nodded. "That's why she called me that. I never forgot about her."

"What did you call her?" asked Odd.

"Macaroon," replied Eva.

Odd groaned. "Thanks for making me hungry."

"You're always hungry!" said Ulrich.

They all laughed.

"I better head home," said Kayla. "Dad said he might come home early. Come on, Bon Ami."

Bon Ami got up and followed Kayla.

"Same here," said Yumi. "Bye, guys."

"Later, Yumi," the others called.

"Call it a day?" asked Ulrich.

"Yeah," said Eva, putting her locket away.

They went back to school.

That evening, Mr. Delmas was finishing some paperwork when Ms. Hertz knocked on his office door.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I thought I would bring this to your attention, Jean-Pierre," said Ms. Hertz. She put a folder on his desk.

"What is this?" asked Mr. Delmas.

"An aptitude test," said Ms. Hertz. "Eva Maverick's aptitude test."

Mr. Delmas looked at the test. "Are you sure this is right?" he asked with a frown.

"I'm positive," said Ms. Hertz. "Belpois and Stones asked Pichon to correct theirs. It was Pichon who brought her test to me. I double checked it myself."

"I've never seen a score this high for a student her age," said Mr. Delmas. "I'll have to call her parents. Arrangements will need to be made to place her in a higher grade."

Mr. Delmas went to the filing cabinet and took out Eva's file. He opened it. "Oh, dear," he said. "The ink is smudged. I can't read the contact number. Oh, well. I can look it up in the phonebook."

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><p><strong>Uh-oh, now the trouble really starts to brew. Keep reading to find out what happens. In the meantime, review this chapter and take a peek at my other stories if you haven't already. I do more than Code: LYOKO.<strong>


	3. Cover Up

**Here is chapter 3. I would like to thank my faithful fans for making this series popular. Thank you, Spyrofan777, for your reviews that have kept me fueling the fire for the next story. Please review.**

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><p>Kayla went downstairs the next morning and found her father standing in the kitchen.<p>

"You haven't left yet?" she asked.

"No," Dr. Olson replied. "I thought I would make you breakfast."

"Thank you," said Kayla.

"I already left Bon Ami out," he said as she was just about to call the dog. "I gave him his breakfast but he doesn't seem interested in it."

"Because he's funny about who feeds him," said Kayla. "He'll eat then."

Bon Ami was left back in. He walked over to his dish and sniffed the food before looking at Kayla.

"It's okay," said Kayla. "You can have it."

Bon Ami stuck his muzzle in the dish and began to eat.

"See?" she asked her father.

"Well, I'll be," Dr. Olson said. "Are you the only one who can feed him?"

"Eva feeds him and the others give him treats when I take him for walks," said Kayla.

"Your friends from school?" asked Dr. Olson. "I thought dogs were allowed on school property."

"They're not, but Bon is little trouble and as long as I keep him in the woods, no one really cares," said Kayla. Her father would have a fit and call the school if she told him about Kiwi, so she left that bit out.

"How is Eva?" asked Dr. Olson. "She's attending the same school as you are now, right?"

"Yes."

"How is she adjusting?" asked Dr. Olson.

"Great!" said Kayla. "She and I share the same circle of friends."

Dr. Olson looked closely at his daughter. "Nothing out of the ordinary? No family troubles at home?"

"No," replied Kayla. "She stays in the dorms. She goes home on the weekends. It's too far for her to walk every day and wastes too much gas for her parents to drive her back and forth."

"She would come to you if there was a problem?" asked her father.

"Of course, Dad," said Kayla. "We're best friends."

"Okay," said Dr. Olson. "I'll see you when you get home."

Kayla frowned. "You're not going to work today?" she asked.

"I have a meeting today," said Dr. Olson. "It won't take long."

"With who?" asked Kayla.

Dr. Olson smiled. "That's my girl. Always curious." He patted her head. "Now you better go before you're late."

"Okay, Dad," said Kayla, catching that her father was trying to avoid the subject.

Kayla went to get her backpack. She came downstairs and was about to go out the front door when something on the small table in the living room caught her eye. It was a file folder. Curious, she walked over and looked at it. The label on the tab read, "Maverick, M.". Now very curious, Kayla opened it up. She nearly cried out in horror and disgust when she saw some of the pictures inside. However, she recognized the deathly pale face of the little girl. It was Mackenzie.

Why would her father have Mackenzie's medical file? And why now, after two years? Kayla shook her head and looked at the autopsy photos. There were a lot of bruises on Mackenzie.

"Kayla?"

Kayla jumped and nearly dropped the file. Dr. Olson was looking in at her.

"What are you doing with that?" he asked.

"Is this what you're working on?" asked Kayla. "Is this what your meeting's about?"

Dr. Olson came in and took the file from her. "You shouldn't be looking at these. But, yes, this is what the meeting is about. I rather you not tell anyone, especially Eva."

"Why?" asked Kayla. "If it concerns Mackenzie, shouldn't she know? They were sisters, after all."

Kayla put on her best innocent face. This usually worked on her father. And this time it did.

"There's something about this autopsy report that has the medical examiner concerned," said Dr. Olson. "Mackenzie died of internal bleeding."

"Brought on by her leukemia, right?" asked Kayla. "Her spleen and liver were swollen. It's possible that they ruptured."

"That's what the report says, but something just doesn't seem right," said Dr. Olson. "Mackenzie was fine when the nurse came in the last time before she passed away. She should have been able to have her bone marrow transplant from Eva, even though Eva was being treated herself. Mackenzie should have survived until Eva's treatment was complete and she would have been able to donate."

"But something happened?" asked Kayla.

Dr. Olson shook his head. "I shouldn't be telling you this. It's an ongoing investigation."

Kayla felt her stomach lurch. Ongoing investigation? An _investigation_?

"I better go to school," said Kayla.

"Remember, not a word to Eva," said Dr. Olson.

"Bye, Dad," said Kayla.

Kayla walked down the street a little ways before sprinting.

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><p>At the school, Eva and the others were taking their time with their breakfasts. Kayla barged into the cafeteria and forced herself to slow to a walk.<p>

"I need to talk to you," said Kayla to Eva, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, sit down and tell us," said Odd, kicking a chair out for Kayla.

Kayla shook her head. "I need to talk to you, alone," she said to Eva.

Eva could tell there was something wrong. Kayla had that look in her eyes like she did when she was worried greatly about something.

They went outside. The group watched. Kayla was gesturing with her hands and a dark look was coming over Eva's face.

"What?" Eva said loudly enough for the students in the cafeteria to hear.

"There's an investigation," Kayla said in a low voice.

Eva put a hand to her head. "This is bad." She sighed heavily. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"We need to tell the others," said Kayla.

"I know, I know," said Eva, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Maverick!"

Both girls jumped. Jim was walking up to them.

"Mr. Delmas would like to see you," he said.

"Right now?" asked Eva.

"Right now," replied Jim. He frowned at them. "Unless you have something else more important."

"Jim! Jim!" A little girl with dark hair and wearing a pink dress came running up to him. She was in the fifth grade. Kayla and Eva had seen her around before. Her name was Marie Tavitian.

"What is it, Marie?" asked Jim.

"There's a dog on the grounds," Marie squeaked. "A yellow dog."

Just then, Bon Ami came marching up to them. He licked Eva and Kayla's hands and sniffed Jim's shoes. He looked at Marie, sniffed, and knocked her over. Marie squealed as Bon Ami licked her face.

"He likes you," said Eva.

"Isn't that your dog, Olson?" asked Jim, pointing to Bon Ami.

"I mustn't have closed the door right," said Kayla. "I didn't know he was following me."

Eva turned to Kayla. "Is anyone home right now to let him in?" she asked.

Kayla was about to answer her that her father was, but saw the look in Eva's eyes telling her to lie.

"No one's home right now," said Kayla. "Could we leave him in a classroom or something until school's out? He's very well behaved. He could even spend the day with you, Jim."

"Well," Jim drawled. "I guess I could keep an eye on him. But only until you have time to take him home."

"Thank you, Jim!" said Kayla. "You're the best."

"Okay, you," said Jim to Bon Ami. "Let's find you a leash."

"Bon Ami, follow Jim," said Eva, pointing to Jim.

Bon Ami snorted and followed Jim.

"He could get back in if you sent him home, right?" asked Eva.

"Yes, he's done it before," said Kayla. "I think he jumped the fence in the backyard."

"I better go to Mr. Delmas' office," said Eva. "Keep your mobile on."

"Always," said Kayla, tapping her mobile in her skirt pocket.

Eva went to Mr. Delmas' office.

"Come in, Eva," said Mr. Delmas. He beckoned to a chair across the desk. "Have a seat."

Eva sat down.

"Do you know why I called you here?" he asked.

"No, sir," said Eva.

"It's about your aptitude test," said Mr. Delmas.

"It was just for fun," Eva broke in. "It wasn't supposed to count for a permanent grade."

Mr. Delmas put his hand up. "I understand. But what I don't understand is why someone who did so well on the aptitude test has the grades of a somewhat average student."

"If you recall, Mr. Delmas, I'm in both ninth and tenth grade courses," said Eva.

"But you've scored higher than the seniors here," said Mr. Delmas. "Why are you not in a gifted program? Why are you attending this particular school?" He put his hands together and rested his chin on them.

"It's a good school," answered Eva. "And Kayla's here so I already had a friend here when I started."

"I see," said Mr. Delmas, thoughtfully. "Eva, I've contacted your parents."

Eva looked at him. He had contacted her parents? How? She had given him the mobile number of her spare so if he ever called, she would pretend to be her mother.

"They say they did not know you are attending here," said Mr. Delmas.

"How? They signed the forms." Yet another lie from Eva. She had signed them herself, expertly forging their signatures.

"Which confuses me," said Mr. Delmas. "They are coming here today to sort things out."

"Oh?" Eva said, looking pleasantly surprised. "Okay. When?"

"This afternoon," replied Mr. Delmas.

"Okay," said Eva. "May I go now, sir?"

"Yes, your first class is about to begin," said Mr. Delmas. "I'll write you a note."

Mr. Delmas gave Eva the note so she would be excused for her tardiness. Eva left the office building, but didn't go to class. Instead she ran back to her dorm and began to tear apart her room. She gathered all the practice papers she used to forge and put them in a folder. She grabbed a lighter she kept hidden in her sock drawer and tucked into her pocket. Taking out her mobile, Eva sent a quick text message to Kayla.

_Trouble. Going 2 factory. Call when u get chance._

Eva snuck over to a neighboring dorm and took a can of hair spray. She ran out of the dorm and for the sewer.

At the factory, Eva found an old empty metal barrel. She moved it to a broken window and dumped in her papers. She flicked open the lighter and held away from her, carefully aiming the hair spray down into the barrel. She pressed the hair spray and her homemade flamethrower engulfed the papers in flames. Eva wanted those papers to be ash so no one would be able to read them.

Her mobile rang. "Yeah?" she answered.

"What's going on?" It was Ulrich. His voice sounded like it was echoing.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"The boys' bathroom. What's going on?" he asked. "Kayla forwarded your message to me."

"My parents are coming," said Eva. "And there's an investigation into my sister's death. I don't know what to do. I'm burning my forging papers right now."

"What do you mean your parents are coming?" asked Ulrich. "How do they know where you are?"

"Mr. Delmas called them when he saw my aptitude test," snapped Eva. "And tell Jeremy I'm going to strike him when I see him. This is partially his fault."

Ulrich heard someone come into the bathroom. He looked through the gap in the stall and saw Jim.

"Great," he whispered.

"What?" asked Eva.

"Jim's in here," Ulrich whispered back. "I'll call you back."

Eva hung up. Thirty seconds later Ulrich called back.

"Look, you are going to have to do something," said Ulrich. "You can't keep running away."

Eva was quiet for a moment. "Okay," she said.

Hanging up the mobile, Eva began the walk back to school.

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><p><strong>Yikes! Now Eva has to figure out what she's going to do. Will she face her parents, or will she run away again? You're just going to have to keep reading to find out.<strong>


	4. Sacrifice

**The lies are the shadows**

**Leaving liars dark and hollow.**

**Without truth's candle flame**

**How is one to find their way?**

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><p>It was getting close to lunchtime and no one had heard anything from Eva since Ulrich had called her. Only the group knew that she was missing. One of the things about Eva was that she could blend in so well with a crowd that it was hard to tell when she was there and when she wasn't. No one really missed her.<p>

"Where do you think she is?" asked Yumi.

"Getting her stuff together and destroying the evidence," said Kayla. "She would have burned all of her practice papers."

"She's not too happy with you, Jeremy," said Ulrich. "She told me to tell you that she's going to strike you the next time she sees you."

"Me?" asked Jeremy.

"The aptitude test," said Aelita. She groaned. "Herb must have told one of the teachers when he graded our tests."

"So what should we do?" asked Odd. "We can't just leave Eva hanging out to dry."

They turned to Kayla.

"We do what she would want us to do," said Kayla. "Lie. Deny any knowledge about her forging her way into school. Stick to the story she gave you the first day of school. And don't breathe a word about Mackenzie! As far as anyone knows here, she does not have any siblings."

"Do you think it's smart to not say anything about Mackenzie?" asked Yumi. "She has pictures of her in her room."

"She'll hide them," said Kayla. "I don't know why, but she'll hide them."

Eva came in that moment and sat down at the table without getting anything to eat.

"And?" asked Kayla.

"It's done," said Eva. "Burned or hidden. All of it." She let out a heavy sigh and rested her head on the table.

Eva was afraid. Though she did not want to admit it, the others, knowing her like they did, could see she was afraid. She did not want to face her parents at the risk of being thrown back into whatever pit of despair and agony she had escaped from.

There was a stir in the cafeteria. They looked out the window at what the other students were looking at. There was a sharply dressed woman and two men in suits walking the grounds. The woman was holding a file folder in her hand.

"Know them?" Odd asked Eva.

"No." Eva watched as they climbed the steps to the cafeteria.

"Duck out the back," whispered Ulrich. "We'll cover."

"No," Eva said. "No, these people I must face. Kayla, thank you for warning me."

The woman and the two men came over to their table.

"Eva Maverick?" asked the woman.

"Yes," replied Eva.

"I need you to come with us," she said.

Eva stood up. "Where are we going?"

"We are going to the guidance office," said the woman.

They left. The group looked at each other.

"What now?" asked Yumi.

"We wait." Kayla sucked in a breath. "And we pray that everything will turn out all right."

Odd chuckled nervously. "Eva's not all right. She's half left."

Eva sat in a cushy chair in the guidance office. Across from her was the woman, Miss Badelt, and the school psychologist, Mr. Klotz. The two men in suits were standing off to the side and out of the way. Mr. Delmas was also there.

"Perhaps we should wait until her parents get here," said Mr. Delmas.

"Don't worry, Jean-Pierre," said Miss Badelt. "Eva is just going to be asked a few questions regarding her sister and then we'll be on our way."

"Her sister?" asked Mr. Delmas. "I didn't know she has a sister."

"Had," Miss Badelt sadly said. She looked at Eva. "Would you like to tell him about Mackenzie?"

Eva made a sound in her throat. She did not want to tell them about Mackenzie.

"Eva?" asked Mr. Klotz.

"I do not want to talk about Mackenzie, Miss Badelt," Eva said coldly.

"Oh, please, Eva," Miss Badelt said with a kind smile. "You may call me Viviane. Now, will you talk about Mackenzie?"

"No, I will not, _Miss Badelt_," replied Eva.

Miss Badelt sighed. "All right. I'll tell them."

She turned to Mr. Delmas and Mr. Klotz. "Two years ago, Eva was to give a bone marrow transplant to her younger sister, Mackenzie. However, Eva tested positive for illness, nothing serious, but it could have killed Mackenzie if she took Eva's marrow at that moment. So the doctors decided to wait and treat Eva for the illness so she could give her marrow to Mackenzie. But Mackenzie took a turn for the worst, and she never got the marrow."

Eva sat straight and tall, looking straight ahead, forcing back the little voice that kept telling her over and over that she had killed what she loved the most.

Miss Badelt turned back to Eva. "Eva, there is an investigation into your sister's death."

Eva looked at her, her dark eyes vacant of emotion. "Why? She's dead. It's been two years. Why should anyone care now?"

"The medical examiner who preformed the autopsy thought it was a little strange that Mackenzie took the turn for the worst so quickly," said Miss Badelt. "She also had bruises on her wrists and arms from being beaten, by the looks of things. The examiner said cause of death was from internal bleeding due to her leukemia, but he believes she suffered a blow that caused the bleeding."

"What?" asked Eva, genuinely surprised. "What are you saying?"

"We had another doctor look at her file," said Miss Badelt. Eva knew she was talking about Kayla's father, Dr. Olson. "He believes the medical examiner is right. Something hit that little girl hard enough to cause internal bleeding and that bleeding never stopped."

Eva sat there in silence for a long moment.

"Eva?" said Mr. Klotz. "Is there something you would like to add? Something that may have caused your sister to bleed internally?"

"How long would it have taken for her to bleed out?" asked Eva breathlessly.

"Given her condition, a few minutes," replied Miss Badelt.

A few minutes. For something to hit her and for her to die. Not something. Someone. And Eva knew who.

The door flew open.

"Eva!" a woman with long black hair came in and threw her arms around Eva. "We've missed you so much!"

"What are you doing giving us such a scare?" asked a large man with brown hair and dark eyes like Eva's. He stepped through the door and closed it behind him before coming over to her, walking with a limp. Eva had to stomp down the satisfied smirk that threatened to come to her lips. She knew what had caused the man to limp, and she was glad that dog was still on the school grounds.

"Hey, Mom," said Eva. "Hey, Dad."

"What are you doing here?" asked Mrs. Maverick. "We thought something terrible happened to you."

"You sent her here," said Mr. Delmas, confused.

Mr. Maverick turned to him. "No, we didn't."

"You must have," said Mr. Delmas. "You signed the forms and sent them in."

"We couldn't have," Mr. Maverick insisted. "We don't have the kind of money it takes to send her here. Besides, we never received any sort of bill."

"She has a scholarship," said Mr. Delmas.

"That's impossible," said Mr. Maverick. "There must be some mistake. Eva doesn't have the brains to get a scholarship. A sports scholarship maybe, but one of those for the smart kids, that can't be right."

"She is very intelligent," said Mr. Delmas. "In addition to being in tenth grade classes when she is only in ninth, she has the highest score on the aptitude test that I have ever seen. When it comes to her intelligence, Eva could graduate this year."

"But the forms," said Mr. Maverick. He turned to his wife. "Jess, did you sign them and not remember?"

"I may have," said Mrs. Maverick.

"Of course, Mom," said Eva. "How else would I be here if you hadn't signed them? Dad doesn't remember signing them."

Mr. Maverick chuckled. "Jess, it must have been when you were switching your medications. The doctors said that there would be memory lapses."

He turned to Mr. Delmas. "I am so sorry for the confusion," he said. "My wife has some health issues and sometimes forgets things. This must be one of those times."

Mr. Maverick turned to Mrs. Maverick and Eva. Eva saw in his eyes that she was going to get a beating once they were alone. He may not even wait that long. He looked like he wanted to take a swing at her right now.

Miss Badelt stood up and turned to Mr. Maverick. "We were just talking about Mackenzie. I have a few questions to ask you."

Mr. Maverick looked at her. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Viviane Badelt, Child's Services," she answered.

Mr. Maverick turned to Eva. "What have you been telling her?" he snapped.

"It's more about what she's been telling me," said Eva.

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><p>Jeremy heard his computer beeping while they finished their lunches. He took it out and set it up on the table. "An activated tower," he said.<p>

"We better go," said Ulrich.

"What about Eva?" asked Yumi.

"I'll text her," said Kayla, already taking her mobile out. "She can meet us there."

Odd sighed heavily. "Why can't XANA attack when it isn't mealtime?"

"Come on, Odd," said Ulrich. "I'll give you my pudding cup tonight."

The six of them left the cafeteria and ran for the woods.

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><p>"What?" screeched Mrs. Maverick, causing Eva to flinch. She hated that sound and when Sissi would scream, it made Eva remember her mother. "How can you accuse us of hurting our child?"<p>

"How else do you explain these bruises?" asked Miss Badelt.

Eva paid no attention to her parents' explanation. Something dark had caught her eye. She had a bad feeling about this. Two seconds later her mobile vibrated in her pocket. Eva grabbed her mobile and quickly looked down at the message.

_S.O.S. XANA_

Eva looked up from her mobile in time to see XANA's specters attack her parents. Both cried out before turning to Eva. She could see XANA's mark in their eyes.

Bolting out the door, Eva nearly collided with Jim. She heard Bon Ami growl and snarl as Eva's possessed parents passed them. Bon Ami whimpered as one of them attacked him.

Eva didn't like her odds. She needed to get to the factory, but how? She was fast, but even she couldn't outrun someone under XANA's control. Running as fast as she could, Eva made it out of the main office building and began running for the woods. She climbed the high chainlink fence that surrounded the track and field and crossed to the other side. She only looked back once to see her mother on her tail. Eva managed to get to the top of the fence, but was forced to jump. She executed a front flip and a roll before getting back up on her feet.

Now in the woods, Eva serpentined between the trees, leaping on and over fallen limbs and old stumps. When she got to the sewer, Eva replaced the manhole cover while balancing on the ladder rungs and jumped the rest of the way. She grabbed her skateboard and made her way through the sewer as fast as she possibly could.

* * *

><p>The others were already on LYOKO. The activated tower was in the ice sector and XANA was doing everything it could to stop them from deactivating it. In other words, lots and lots of monsters, William included.<p>

William was focused on destroying Odd. Odd was flying around on his overboard, trying to keep William distracted for Kayla to come up behind him and hit him with her morning star. But Kayla was having problems of her own in the form of blocks. Yumi came to her rescue and Kayla went for William. Getting a good spin on her morning star, Kayla took aim. But William had figured out what they were doing. He whipped around and fired a blast from his giant sword. Kayla let out a cry as her morning star was destroyed and she took heavy damage. Seeing that William was going to strike again, Kayla leaped into the air.

Ulrich and Yumi were taking care of the blocks that were circling the tower. Yumi got shot in the arm and went flying back, dropping a fan.

"Yumi!" cried Ulrich.

"I'm okay," Yumi quickly said, diving for her fan. She threw it and took out the block that had shot her. "Take that."

"Watch out!" shouted Ulrich, jumping in front of her. He swatted away the rapid laser fire of the blocks. "Super sprint!" Ulrich dashed forward and stabbed one block in the weak point. It exploded.

Yumi threw her fan again and took out the block that was lining up a shot with Ulrich.

"Thanks," said Ulrich.

"Just paying you back," said Yumi.

Aelita threw an energy field at a block. She destroyed and turned to William. William was forcing Kayla back.

"Jeremy, Kayla needs help," said Aelita.

"I'm on it," said Jeremy. "Kayla, I'm sending you a new morning star."

Aelita saw that she needed to help Kayla. She fired an energy field at William, knocking his sword out of his hand. William looked at her and growled. Kayla jumped and kicked William in the head, sending him sprawling.

"Lucky shot," he said, getting to his feet. "Don't expect another like that."

"Don't be so cocky," said Kayla, moving into first position, heels together, toes fanned out, hands down.

William held his hand out and his sword returned to him.

Kayla hurried forward and pirouetted, her foot hitting William's sword as he blocked. She couldn't kick hard enough to knock it out of his hands again, and it certainly wasn't enough to destroy it, but it made William falter long enough for her to spring off her one foot and front kick him. The force was enough to send him stumbling back.

William, now angered, charged forward and swung his sword. Kayla bent forward like she was taking a bow and felt the blade breeze over her back and shoulders. At that point, her morning star returned to her waist. She made a grab for it and crossed weapons with William. For a moment they were at a stalemate, each pushing against the other. Then William kicked Kayla in the stomach. Kayla looked up and put her hand up to block, but it did nothing as William's enormous sword sliced through her virtual body.

"Kayla!" shouted Odd, coming around.

William looked up at Odd and swung his sword, an energy blast coming off the blade. The blast took out Odd's overboard and he tumbled to the ground. He shook himself to clear his head and saw William's black and red boots in front of him.

Ulrich let out a bellow and crossed his swords, catching William's blade as he tried to bring it down on Odd's head.

"Thanks, Ulrich," said Odd.

"Go help Yumi and Aelita," strained Ulrich.

Odd ran off on all fours to help the girls.

* * *

><p>Kayla got out of the scanner and stumbled into the elevator. She leaned against the side as it took her up to the computer room.<p>

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked.

"Not really," said Kayla, holding her middle. "William's got a wicked swing." She walked over to stand beside Jeremy. "How are we doing?"

"Not so good," said Jeremy. "There are fewer blocks than there were when we started, but there are still too many. With Ulrich fighting William and Yumi low on life points, it's mostly up to Odd and Aelita to get the job done. We need Eva."

The elevator opened. Kayla turned around and smiled. "Speak of the devil and she shall appear."

"My parents are possessed," said Eva. "They probably followed me."

"I'll send the elevator down to the bottom floor once you get to the scanner room," said Jeremy.

"How bad are things?" asked Eva as she hit the down button on the elevator.

"William's there," said Jeremy.

"Enough said," said Eva.

* * *

><p>Eva appeared on LYOKO, surveyed the situation, and knew that immediate action was needed. She possessed the nearest block and began shooting at the others.<p>

"What kept you?" shouted Odd.

Eva hopped out of the block, it exploding as she did. "Had a family thing."

"Watch out!" shouted Yumi.

A block was about to fire at them. Eva, not thinking, jumped in front of Odd. A white energy appeared in front of her and absorbed the block's attack. Eva charged it up and the energy was sent forward in a power pulse.

"You learned to block!" said Odd.

"Good to know," said Eva. She turned and fired another power pulse at the block Yumi was defending herself against. "You okay?"

Yumi gave her the thumbs up.

Ulrich let out a cry. They turned to see him being devirtualized. William turned to them. He then turned to Aelita. He put out his hand and fired black smoke. Aelita tried to get away, but couldn't outrun it. Caught in William's grip, Aelita struggled feebly as he began to move her to the edge of the ice.

"No!" yelled Eva.

Several blocks barred their way. Eva leaped into the air and tumbled over one, turning and firing a power pulse as she landed. William had Aelita at the edge of the ice. Eva kept running as fast as she could. She heard Odd and Yumi yelling and Jeremy shouting in her ear. Whether it was for her to stop William or stop herself, Eva wasn't sure and she didn't care. She was not going to let Aelita fall.

William let go of Aelita. Just as he did, he saw a blur of black and blue follow her. Eva reached out and grabbed Aelita's hand, her other hand grabbing the edge of the ice. William snickered. He slammed his boot on Eva's hand. She cried out in pain and glared at him.

"I'm not letting go," she snarled.

William scowled, lifted his sword, and stabbed it into the ice. The ice Eva was holding onto fell away and the two girls cried out as they fell toward the digital see.

"Aelita, fly!" shouted Eva.

Aelita made move to touch her bracelet, but something hit her in the back. Eva looked up and saw a block next to William.

Both of them fell into the digital sea.

William raised his arms, sword in one hand. "Victory!" he bellowed.

* * *

><p>Kayla let out a cry and covered her mouth.<p>

"What's going on?" asked Ulrich, getting off the elevator.

"Ulrich, we lost Eva," said Jeremy, completely deadpan with shock.

Kayla shook her head, her gold hair coming over her shoulders. "You said Franz Hopper will save them."

"I said he'll save Aelita," said Jeremy.

"So, she's. . . ?" Kayla began to say.

"I'm sorry," said Jeremy, lowering his head.

Kayla turned to Ulrich. He also lowered his head. "No," she whispered, tears coming to her blue eyes. "No!" She grabbed Jeremy's sweater. "There must be something! Some way to bring her back! You have to bring her back!"

Ulrich pulled Kayla away and held her. "There's nothing he can do. She's gone."

"No!" yelled Kayla, sobbing.

Jeremy turned back to the computer. "Yumi, Odd, be ready to protect Franz Hopper. Make sure Aelita gets to the tower."

"You got it, Jeremy," said Odd.

* * *

><p>William was scanning the digital sea for any sign of life. He smirked as a blue and pink bubble began to rise from the digital sea. It landed across the sea on another section of ice.<p>

Yumi and Odd began attacking the blocks and William. They turned their attention away from the bubble and fought with the two remaining LYOKO warriors.

The bubble dropped off Aelita. She shook her head and looked at the bubble. "Daddy," she said.

Aelita got to her feet and saw that she had a clear path to the tower. She could almost hear her father telling her to run. Aelita began to run, trying not to think about Eva. She entered the tower and went to the top. At the top, the interface appeared and she placed her hand on it.

Aelita.

Code LYOKO.

"Tower deactivated," said Aelita.

The tower turned white.

William turned around and saw the bubble fall back into the digital sea.

"No!" he roared.

William turned to Yumi and Odd before leaping into the digital sea.

* * *

><p><strong>I leave you with this: Is Eva gone for good or has something more sinister happened to her? Please review this chapter and tell me what you think of it.<strong>


	5. What Was Thought to be Lost

**Here's chapter 5. I know I was messing with you with leaving that huge cliffhanger, but I thought the story could use a little suspense. Please review.**

* * *

><p>Jeremy called in Aelita, Odd, and Yumi.<p>

Aelita took two steps out of the scanner and broke down into sobs. She sat down on the trapdoor that led down to the hard drive of LYOKO. Odd sat beside her and held her. Yumi stood there with a sad look on her face, but no tears.

Jeremy, Ulrich, and Kayla came down. Kayla looked around, hoping that Eva would be there, but she wasn't. She began crying again, much harder than she had upstairs. She had to face it: Eva was gone and there was nothing Kayla could do about it.

"She tried to save me," said Aelita. "She sacrificed herself to try to stop William."

"She didn't need to," said Jeremy. "I told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen."

"That's how Eva was," Kayla said, dashing a hand across her face. "She was completely selfless."

The doors to a scanner suddenly closed and activated. The others looked at each other.

"Do you think William's trying to come through again?" asked Odd.

The scanner opened. Eva stood there looking at them.

"What?" she asked.

They all stood there dumbfounded, unable to speak. It was Kayla who was the first to move. She sprang forward and threw her arms around Eva, knocking them both back into the scanner.

"We thought we lost you," Kayla cried. "I thought I lost you."

Eva looked at the others. They nodded. Eva put her arms around Kayla and hugged her.

"What happened?" asked Yumi.

They looked at Jeremy and then back at Eva, waiting for an explanation, not caring which source it came from.

"Franz Hopper must have saved her," Jeremy finally said.

"But I never saw him drop Eva off," said Aelita.

"I didn't either," said Jeremy.

Kayla pulled away and she and Eva stepped out of the scanner. "What happened?" asked Kayla.

Eva shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "I just kept thinking that I couldn't lose another sister. And then this bubble thing picked me up."

"Franz Hopper," said Jeremy with a smile.

"Daddy did save you after all," said Aelita.

"The bubble thing, Franz, spoke," said Eva.

Aelita let out a cry of surprise.

"What did he say?" asked Yumi.

"'Thank you. You hold all of the answers.' I haven't a clue what that means, but I woke up in the scanner," said Eva.

"'You hold all of the answers'?" repeated Jeremy. "Couldn't he be a little clearer?"

"Well, the only thing that is clear at this point is that you are in deep trouble, Phantasm," said Odd.

"Thanks for reminding me," growled Eva. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

><p>They went back to school to find Mr. Maverick and Mrs. Maverick standing near a police car, fighting. The officers, the two men in suits, Mr. Delmas, and Jim were trying to keep things civil, but it was not working.<p>

"Wow," said Odd. "Now I know why you hate it when Sissi yells."

Eva walked over to Miss Badelt. "What's going on?" asked Eva.

Miss Badelt kneeled in front of Eva, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Eva, your parents are being arrested for child abuse. After you ran out of the room and your parents followed you, we eventually caught up with them running for an abandoned factory on the river. Your father and your mother started arguing about your sister. Your father hit Mackenzie. You mustn't have been in the room at the time. He caused the injury that killed your sister."

Eva looked at Miss Badelt. "Thank you," she said.

Eva pulled away from Miss Badelt and walked over to her fighting parents. Mr. Maverick was the first to notice her.

"What are you looking at, brat?" he snarled.

"For two years," Eva said in a low voice. "For two years, I blamed myself for Mackenzie's death." Her voice began to rise as she continued. "For two years I thought it was all my fault that she died, when it was you! You killed my sister! After all those years of protecting her, after all the pain I endured to keep her safe, I should have known better than to turn my back. Because when I turned my back for that one moment and you go and hit her."

"She was being defiant!" yelled Mr. Maverick. "Just like you are right now!"

His hand shot out to grab Eva. Eva saw it coming and he only caught her shirt sleeve. The black fabric of her T-shirt ripped and a sliver of one of her many scars became visible.

"I did not go through all the trouble to raise a defiant child!" roared Mr. Maverick.

He came at her again, but a snarl from a blur of yellow stopped him. Bon Ami was watching from a distance and saw his master in danger. His fur bristled and he kept his head low and snapped at Mr. Maverick's ankles. Mr. Maverick contemplated kicking the dog, but remembered what happened the last time he came across this particular dog.

"No." Eva pulled off her baggy T-shirt and threw it to the ground. She stood there in her dark blue camisole that did nothing to hide the scars. "You raised a survivor."

The officers arrested both Mr. Maverick and Mrs. Maverick.

Mrs. Maverick looked at Eva with contempt. "My own daughter, turned against me," she said. "You ingrate!"

"I am no daughter of yours," said Eva.

Mr. Delmas turned to Miss Badelt. "What happens now?"

"They will go to jail," said Miss Badelt. "Eva will come with me and will be placed in foster care until someone adopts her."

"No," said Kayla, grabbing Eva's arm.

"Is there any other option?" asked Mr. Delmas.

Miss Badelt shook her head. "Eva has no other family here. I'm sorry, but she'll have to come with me. With any luck, someone local will take her in and she'll be able to come back to this school."

Kayla looked at Eva pleadingly. "No, don't go," she whispered. "I just got you back."

Jim cleared his throat. "Um, Miss Badelt?"

"Yes?" she asked.

"Is there anyway I could take Eva?" asked Jim.

Everyone turned to him, surprised.

"Jim, that hardly seems appropriate," said Mr. Delmas.

"Why couldn't I?" asked Jim. "The living arrangement would be no different from yours and your daughter. I already look after most of the students here."

"It would work," said Miss Badelt. "I can have the paperwork sent over. This is a good environment for a teenager. I don't see why it couldn't work."

Jim turned to Eva. "What do you say, Eva?" he asked. "Do you think I could be your dad?"

Eva just stared at him. She didn't know what to say.

"Say yes!" shouted Odd.

Eva began to smile. "Yes," she whispered.

"You're staying!" shouted Odd.

The group swarmed her, giving her hugs and pats on the head and good shoulder. Bon Ami barked happily.

* * *

><p>That night, Eva was still awake. She opened her locket and looked at the picture of Mackenzie.<p>

"I have a family, Macaroon," she said. "I wish you could see it."

Eva kissed the picture and closed the locket.

"Eva Maverick-Morales." She smiled. "It has a certain ring to it."

* * *

><p><strong>So now what? Eva has a home and a family. But what did Franz Hopper mean by them having all the answers? You'll just have to keep reading.<strong>


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